Ban on Discrimination against Gay Teachers at Schools

THE HAGUE, 09/05/13 - Christian and Islamic schools are no longer allowed to fire or refuse teachers because they are homosexual. Centre-left D66, together with the conservatives (VVD), Labour (PvdA), the Socialist Party (SP) and the leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) have put forward a bill that will put a stop to possible discrimination against homosexual teachers. In the present situation, the ‘sole fact’ rule applies. Schools for ‘special education’ (based on religious principles) are not allowed to fire or refuse any staff on grounds of ‘the sole fact’ that someone is openly homosexual or has a homosexual relationship, but they are allowed to if there are ‘additional circumstances’. The new bill will end the unclearness by removing the so-called sole fact construction from the Equal Treatment General Act. The proposed bill can also count on a majority in the Upper House. ''Currently you can still see the ‘additional circumstances’ of homosexuality being grounds for someone’s dismissal,” says D66 MP Vera Bergkamp. “For example, a teacher who visits Gay Pride or openly talks about a homosexual relationship can be fired.”